


in the heart of the ocean

by lovestruc



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Human/Merperson Relationship, M/M, Magic, Mild Angst, Mild Blood, Prince Kang Chanhee | Chani, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29454270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestruc/pseuds/lovestruc
Summary: merman prince chanhee wants to explore the ocean. amidst his near-death experience, he meets an unlikely ally in juho, a scorned mercenary who works alone, but maybe has a soft spot for the merman he accidentally saved from dying.
Relationships: Baek Juho | Zuho/Kang Chanhee | Chani, Minor Kim Seokwoo | Rowoon/Lee Jaeyoon
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. beyond the barrier

**Author's Note:**

> this was fun to write! i like writing rebellious chanhee, even if i've written it a lot before. 
> 
> also just as a starting note, chanhee is 16 in this universe
> 
> okay thank you
> 
> enjoy.

_Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms that lived in peace._

_The kingdom of the land, and the kingdom of the sea._

_On land lived the humans, and in the sea lived the merpeople._

_The king of the humans and the queen of the merpeople were close allies, and the people of the two kingdoms became close as a result._

_Until one day, when tensions increased and a skirmish broke out between the humans and merpeople._

_The humans killed all of the merpeople, with the humans barely getting injured in the battle._

_The queen and king tried to solve things peacefully, but the merpeople wanted justice for the ones who died._

_The queen, wanting retribution for her people, declared war on the humans._

_It was a long and grueling war for both sides, but the merpeople won and killed all of the humans._

_To protect the merpeople from further harm, the magic users of the kingdom created a strong magical barrier that was impenetrable, even by the merpeople of the kingdom._

“It has been thousands of years since the war, and since then, merpeople have lived happily ever after.”

“And it’s been incredibly boring!”

“Chanhee!”

Jaeyoon glared at the young prince, who just crossed his arms in defiance. 

“You always ruin the story, Chanhee.”

“It’s the same boring story every time, the kids are probably tired of hearing it.”

Chanhee pointed at the merlings currently asleep on their seaweed mats, the merlings having clearly fallen asleep because of Jaeyoon’s storytelling.

“Well, they’re meant to fall asleep to that story anyway, and your negative comments surely don’t help them sleep.”

“I’m just being honest! It’s been thousands of years and no one has left the barrier except the guards on patrol. Besides, if we killed all of the humans, there shouldn’t be anything dangerous out there.”

Jaeyoon got off of the stool he was sitting on, tucking the large storybook under his arm.

“What about sharks? Lantern fish? Any of the dangerous creatures in the ocean? Don’t suppose you’d be able to overpower a shark.”

Chanhee followed Jaeyoon out into the hall, swimming leisurely by his side.

“How do we know if sharks exist anymore? They could have gone extinct. All of the books in the library about them are really old.”

Jaeyoon sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I understand your desire to explore, Chanhee, I really do. But the barrier is meant to keep us safe. And Rowoon and I would prefer it if you stayed in the barrier.”

Chanhee scowled as he heard Jaeyoon say Rowoon’s name. 

“Why do you guys care about me anyway? I can keep myself safe.”

“Because, Rowoon’s your older brother and he cares about you more than anything. And you clearly can’t keep yourself safe, there’s that scar on your arm for a reason.”

Chanhee covered the scar with his hand, refusing to look at Jaeyoon.

“That was from when I was little! I’m older now, I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure that you can.”

Chanhee just looked away, not wanting to talk about this anymore, and definitely not with Jaeyoon.

Don’t get him wrong, it’s not that he didn’t like Jaeyoon, he just didn’t like how Jaeyoon was taking all of Rowoon’s attention away from Chanhee.

Sure, they were betrothed and everything, but Rowoon had been paying little to no attention to Chanhee lately, and it made Chanhee feel more alone.

Rowoon was his older brother, but he felt more like a stranger now that Jaeyoon was in the picture.

Chanhee just wanted his hyung back.

“Jaeyoon!”

Both Jaeyoon and Chanhee turned around to see Rowoon swimming swiftly towards them. He was still wearing half of his armor, and it looked like the other half had been hastily taken off. 

“Rowoon, my love.”

Rowoon and Jaeyoon shared a quick kiss, making Chanhee turn his head away, not wanting to see that.

Rowoon swam over to Chanhee, ruffling his hair a bit to make his younger brother squirm.

“How’s my favorite little brother doing?”

“I’m your only little brother.” Chanhee huffed.

“Exactly why you’re my favorite.”

Chanhee just pouted and turned away, swimming away from Rowoon and Jaeyoon.

He needed to clear his mind and get it off the almost-married couple that was in the castle with him.

There was one place he could always go to be alone.

The castle gardens.

Filled with exotic corals and vibrant plants, it was an oasis for Chanhee to be alone and clear his head. 

When he was in the garden, it felt like he was free in the ocean, surrounded by plants that were just as free as he was.

No barrier, no rules, no one to tell him what to do.

It was Chanhee’s safe space.

Chanhee floated on his back above the coral reef, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

He just wished that everything was back to how it was before.

Before Rowoon and Jaeyoon had met.

Before Rowoon was forced to be on patrol most of the time.

Before Chanhee was forced to stay with Jaeyoon for most of the day.

Not only did Jaeyoon take his older brother away from him, but Jaeyoon had the audacity to boss Chanhee around like he was Jaeyoon's younger brother. 

Chanhee was a prince, and Jaeyoon held no power over him. 

He only did what Jaeyoon told him to because he didn't want Rowoon to get mad at him.

He cared about Rowoon a lot.

But it didn’t seem like Rowoon cared about him as much now that Jaeyoon was in the picture.

Chanhee was sick of always being the second most important one.

Rowoon was more important to the kingdom, because he was older than Chanhee and would be the one to take the throne.

And now, Chanhee was the second most important person to Rowoon because of Jaeyoon.

And Chanhee hated that Jaeyoon knew that he had that superiority over Chanhee.

Chanhee hated Jaeyoon.

How dare he try to tell Chanhee what to do. Chanhee was a prince, and Jaeyoon was a nobody who was marrying into the royal family. Chanhee was the one with the superiority here. Chanhee was more important.

Jaeyoon would not tell him what to do.

Just to spite Jaeyoon, Chanhee was going to leave the barrier. 

He would swim in the ocean waters, and prove to Jaeyoon that he was safe on his own.

Jaeyoon was not going to control him.

Chanhee smiled to himself as a plan to sneak out formed in his head.

There was one gap in the barrier, a gate that guards would exit and enter through to patrol the outer parts of the barrier.

The question was, how would Chanhee sneak through the gate?

It normally had two guards stationed at it, meaning Chanhee had no way of sneaking through without them seeing him.

If he tried to leave during the changing of the guard, all of the guards would be close to the gate and would catch him.

He had to wait until the guard changed and the guards on the outside of the barrier spread out so they wouldn’t catch him swimming away, and he could cause a distraction to lure away the guards from the gate.

Chanhee swam back into the castle, looking around before grabbing a tapestry off of one of the walls.

He had a plan. 

There was a hallway near the exit to the garden that was close to the gate that was lined with statues made of marble. 

Chanhee hung up the tapestry in the hallway, making sure that the tapestry was long enough to cover his tail and fins.

Then, taking a swimming start, he rushed at the line of statues and pushed the first one over, causing a domino effect of statues coming down, making a huge commotion.

Chanhee hid behind the tapestry as guards came in, investigating the loud noise.

Then, Chanhee saw two guards come in from the garden, recognizing them as the ones who guarded the gate to outside the barrier.

This was his chance.

Chanhee rushed out from behind the tapestry, swimming quick enough so no one saw him.

There it was.

The gate, completely unguarded.

He was free.

Chanhee swam through the gate, taking in the ocean water through his gills and smiling at how fresh it was.

At how free he was.

It was just him.

No Rowoon, no Jaeyoon, no guards.

Just Chanhee and the open sea.

He swam freely and carelessly, swooping around large rock structures and plowing through forests of seaweed.

His hair blew back in the current and his red fins stood out against the gray and green environments around him.

He loved this feeling.

The ocean was his, and he was free to explore it.

The infinite void of blue water was beautiful. It was calm and peaceful, but also had a feeling of adventure to it.

Chanhee wanted to explore all of it.

He wanted to meet every sea creature, touch every plant, explore every cave.

This was how he wanted to live.

Not confined in the barrier, living the same life every day.

He wanted adventure.

And just for today, he was going to get it.

He swam with various fish he met along the way, and watched a crab move some rocks around.

The other creatures in the sea fascinated him. 

The only fish inside the barrier were ones that were bred for eating or sea slugs that people kept as pets.

But there were so many different fish out here, and they were all so beautiful. They were colorful, while the fish inside the barrier were boring greys and browns.

Then, a shadow passed over Chanhee and he looked up to see what it was.

It was a whale!

Chanhee had never seen a whale before, but it was so big.

He swam up towards it, following the whale as it swam through the water.

It was incredibly close to the surface, but Chanhee didn’t mind as he swam underneath the whale, just following it.

It really was a magnificent creature.

As Chanhee swam with the whale, they passed through the ocean, swimming through forest of seaweed and swimming above deep ravines.

The ocean was beautiful, and Chanhee wished he had explored it earlier.

He had swam with schools of fish, he had touched wild coral, and he was following a whale! How could this day get any better?

Chanhee decided to get closer to the whale, maybe he could communicate with it somehow. Ask it where it’s going, or if it wants some company.

As Chanhee swam up towards the whale, to get closer to its face, a weird bunch of dark seaweed appeared above him, making Chanhee curious.

Maybe the seaweed was on the whale’s back and it fell off?

Chanhee got closer to the seaweed, grabbing it in his hands. It was rough, and was arranged in a grid-like pattern.

Then, the seaweed was tugged harshly, and Chanhee was tugged with it, getting tangled up in the seaweed.

He froze for a second, before realizing that he was caught and he started to trash around in the seaweed, trying to untangle himself.

Then, it felt like he was being pulled up through the water.

That’s when he realized that he was being pulled out of the water.

Chanhee panicked. He didn’t know that whales could do this, was the whale catching him to eat him?

Chanhee was dead, he was absolutely dead.

He should have listened to Jaeyoon, he shouldn’t have left the barrier.

All of his freedom was gone and he was now going to become whale food.

Chanhee tried his hardest to trash around and escape, but the seaweed was too strong. 

He could feel a coldness on his tail that wasn’t there before, a coldness that was slowly spreading across his body.

Then, it felt like he was suffocating.

His gills.

His gills were out of the water and he was going to suffocate.

Chanhee closed his eyes, waiting for death. 

He should have known. He should have listened. But now he was going to die and there was nothing he could do. There was nothing Rowoon or Jaeyoon could do anymore. 

Chanhee was… sorry. 

He was sorry for judging Jaeyoon.

He was sorry for assuming that Rowoon no longer cared for him.

He was sorry.

Chanhee closed his eyes, and waited.

  
  


But then, water splashed against his scales, and his gills expanded and collapsed rapidly, as the seaweed fell from his body to the ocean floor below.

He was safe. 

He was alive.

And he was back in the water.

Chanhee was safe once again.

He looked up at the whale, who was still swimming peacefully.

Chanhee swam closer to the ocean floor, still following the whale.

As much as he didn’t want to almost die again, he also wanted adventure.

And following the whale was the best way to find it.

  
  



	2. on the high seas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was a fairly fun chapter to write, but i think that the next pirate chapter will focus more on the pirates than juho.
> 
> also the pirate speak is very inconsistent and I apologize.
> 
> enjoy.

_ A long time ago, there were two kingdoms. _

_ A kingdom of humans on land, and a kingdom of mermaids in the sea. _

_ The king of the humans and the queen of the mermaids were betrothed to each other, causing their kingdoms to be in harmony together. _

_ However, one day a battle broke out between a group of humans and a group of mermaids, with the humans being slain in the battle while the mermaids got away. _

_ The king declared war on the mermaids and killed the mermaid queen himself, for allowing her people to slay his people. _

_ The humans killed all of the mermaids, winning the war and putting an end to the wretched sea creatures. _

“Since then, we’ve lived in peace from those damned mermaids.”

Silence filled the crew’s quarters of the ship, as Youngbin finished his story.

“Youngbin hyung isn’t very good at tellin’ stories.” Hwiyoung whispered, making Youngbin swat him on the head.

“Hey!"

“That’s enough out of ye, get to sleep.”

“Don’t hav’ta tell me that.” Hwiyoung grumbled, turning over in his bed.

Youngbin left the crew’s quarters, motioning for Zuho to follow him.

“Why’s that story so important to you, hyung? You tell it every night.”

Zuho asked, as Youngbin took his overcoat and hat off.

“Mother told it to me e’ery night when I was small, means ‘lot.”

Zuho just nodded, taking the captain’s shoes from him and putting them on a shelf.

Youngbin didn’t have many memories of his mother, and Zuho knew that.

She had drowned when he was young, making Youngbin an orphan, which had turned him to the life of a pirate.

And Zuho was his loyal first mate for the time being. 

Of course, as soon as Zuho’s contract was over, Youngbin would stop paying him and he would be able to find other work, but Zuho had grown to like living on the pirate ship with the small crew.

Hwiyoung and Taeyang were fun to be around, as their bickering easily livened up any room or atmosphere.

And Youngbin was a very admirable captain, leading his team smartly but also having a sense for humor. 

Zuho was happy that Youngbin had hired him as crewmate, as it had really opened his eyes to what life at sea was like.

Zuho was used to doing petty jobs for money, being a hired mercenary wasn’t the most admirable profession, but Zuho did what he could to get by.

“Ye can go back to yer quarters if ye wish, Zuho.”

Zuho nodded, leaving the cabin and heading the the first mate’s quarters.

He slung his bag onto the foot of his bed, taking his own boots off and putting them near his bed.

He preferred this job over others, as he had other people here with him for this.

Most of his jobs were done alone. Sure, he preferred to work alone, but sometimes he got lonely. He travelled alone, ate alone, slept alone, it was just him most of the time. 

If Youngbin offered, he would gladly join Youngbin’s crew full time.

Being a mercenary was fine. 

But Zuho wanted less of a life. 

He wanted a routine. 

He wanted companions.

He wanted to settle down somewhere, maybe with a pet or another person and just work a steady job. But as far as Zuho knew, he was stuck where he was for now.

He laid down on his bed, closing his eyes as waves gently rocked the ship.

Zuho wanted less, and for now, it seemed he would only get that in his dreams.

  
  
  


Sunlight streamed through the window in Zuho’s room, waking the man from his slumber.

Another day on the high seas.

Zuho got up, putting his boots and coat on and slinging his satchel over his shoulder.

He headed up to the main deck, where Youngbin was steering the ship, Hwiyoung was loading cannons, and Taeyang was manning the sails.

“Mornin’ Zuho!”

Hwiyoung called out to him, Zuho just nodding in response.

“Fishin’ boat at two o’ clock! Get ready to hit ‘em hard, lads!”

Zuho grabbed his flintlock from his bag, and taking out a bandana to cover the lower half of his face.

His hat covered the top of his face and his eyes, but the bandana gave him more protection from being identified.

Hwiyoung lit one of the cannons as a warning shot, to show the boat that it was being boarded.

Zuho grabbed one of the loose ropes and swung to the other ship when they got close enough, engaging in hand to hand combat with the first guard he saw. This was a royal fishing boat, so it had more defenses than a normal fishing boat.

He delivered a quick blow to the guard’s face before kicking him square in the chest, sending the guard to the floor of the boat.

He took out his flintlock and pointed it at the fishermen, ordering them to drop their nets.

Most of them did, but two fishermen who were pulling in a large red and orange fish hadn’t dropped their net and were trying to keep pulling it in, so Zuho delivered a swift kick to both of their legs, sending them to the ground and their catch to the ocean floor.

“Surrender now, all of ye.”

Youngbin pointed his sword at all of the fishermen, who handed over any valuables they had to the pirates.

All of the pirates reboarded their ship, letting the fishing boat continue sailing.

“Good job, lads.” Youngbin congratulated the rest of his crew as they gathered together all of the loot they had taken from the fishing boat.

They split up the gold and valuables among themselves, Youngbin getting the most, Zuho getting a good amount, and the remaining amount being split up between Hwiyoung and Taeyang.

“Workin’ with Zuho here ain’t that bad.”

Taeyang mentioned, as he counted up his coins.

“He got some strange methods, but they ain’t hurtin’ nobody.” Youngbin replied.

“Say, Zuho, why’d you kick them fishermen in the legs?” Hwiyoung asked, leaning against the railing of the ship.

“I asked them to drop their net, and they didn’t drop it. Looked like they caught something big too.”

“Somethin’ big?”

“Yeah, it was red and orange. Really bright red and orange."

Youngbin’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“I ain’t heard of any big ones that are red and orange.”

“Maybe it’s one of those mermaids Youngbin tells us about.”

Zuho scoffed, “Doubt that. Mermaids aren’t real.”

“At least not anymore. Now, stop slackin’ lads. We’re going back into town to sell our goods.”

All of the crew nodded, going to their positions to help man the ship back towards the port.

  
  
  


After dropping anchor and tying the ship to the docks, the group departed, with Taeyang and Hwiyoung going off to do god knows what together, Youngbin going to trade the many valuables they stole for gold, and Zuho going down towards the tavern to get a drink and look for a small job he could do for the next day or so while they were docked.

He was able to sit down in the tavern before two royal guards and one of the king’s advisors came in through the tavern doors, surveying the place.

Zuho instinctively pulled his bandana up to cover his face, as being in the vicinity of the authorities like this always made him anxious.

Sure, being a hired mercenary was a legal occupation to have, but Zuho was currently working with pirates, so he wasn’t that safe from the authorities.

The advisor walked towards the bar, talking to the barkeep, who pointed towards Zuho.

Zuho immediately dropped his head and looked at the table,as he heard the clatter of footsteps approaching his table.

“Baek Zuho.”

Zuho looked up, looking the advisor in the eye.

“The kings request your presence.”

“For what?”

“They have a job for you. If you’ll come with me, we have a horse prepared for you.”

Zuho’s eyes narrowed, but he stood up from the table, following the advisor out to where four horses were tied up. Zuho was guided to get on a brown horse and followed behind the advisor, making their way to the castle.   
  


The large doors to the castle were pushed open as Zuho entered, seeing the two kings waiting expectantly on their thrones. Zuho kneeled, bowing his head as a sign of respect for the kings.

“King Changmin, King Yunho. What is it that you request of me?”

"We have heard of your talents from across the land, so we will be hiring you to retrieve something for us." Changmin declared.

"We assume you've heard stories of the war between humans and merpeople?" 

Zuho rolled his eyes, making sure the kings couldn't see it. They really believed that it was real. 

"I have, Your Majesties."

"Good. In order to be on land, the queen had a magical necklace she wore, named  _ The Heart of the Ocean.  _ You will retrieve it for us."

"What do I get in return?" 

The kings exchanged glances before looking back down at Zuho.

"10,000 gold. All for you, as long as you bring us that necklace."

"You have a month, Zuho." Yunho added.

"And if I fail?"

"You will be punished with a life of servitude here at the castle."

"With all due respect, Your Majesties, if the mermaid queen had the necklace, it's likely at the bottom of the ocean."

"So? As far as we've heard, you've been staying with pirates for the last few months. They should know their way around the ocean."

"Anymore questions, Zuho?" 

"No, Your Majesties. I will take your assignment."

Changmin smiled, getting up from his throne. 

"Good. Remember, Zuho, you have a month. You may be dismissed."

Zuho bowed one last time before turning and leaving the castle, thinking that he just wrote his own death sentence by taking the job.


End file.
